1
as in geek
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits
was such a nerd in college that she spent Saturday nights at the library
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intellectual
a person with strong intellectual interests
an unlikely romance between a nerd and a campus beauty queen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in cerebral
much given to learning and thinking
a fringe party of nerdy political activists who have no chance of getting elected
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nerd
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 June 2025
Music supervisor is a job that is part professional music nerd, part aural detective and part crate-digging business affairs exec.
—Peter White, Deadline, 20 June 2025
Between the visual redesign and some exciting pro features, there's something for everyone in MacOS 26 Tahoe, including one that Mac nerds will absolutely love.
—Luke Larsen, Wired News, 11 June 2025
Write Human-Centered Content With SEO Precision The keys are to write like a human and optimize like a nerd.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nerd
Noun
As a film nerd with a 37-inch vertical, Nique Clifford only borrows from the best.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 June 2025
Music supervisor is a job that is part professional music nerd, part aural detective and part crate-digging business affairs exec.
—Peter White, Deadline, 20 June 2025
Between the visual redesign and some exciting pro features, there's something for everyone in MacOS 26 Tahoe, including one that Mac nerds will absolutely love.
—Luke Larsen, Wired News, 11 June 2025
Write Human-Centered Content With SEO Precision The keys are to write like a human and optimize like a nerd.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nerd
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerd
Noun
-
For the theater geeks, watch experimental shows at the Fringe Festival.—
Caroline Ritzie,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
-
Some questions are for casual fans; others are strictly for the hardcore geeks.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
29 June 2025
Noun
-
Public intellectuals do not care to untangle the fall.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
3 July 2025
-
Poets, musicians, scientists, and other artists and intellectuals would discuss their ideas about societal transformation.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
This work bridges two worlds that have long existed apart: the tribal passion of soccer and the cerebral, curated realm of fine art.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
-
But that was a fun element, to play both Spencer and Caleb as cerebral together.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
According to a 2018 study, Sci-Hub provides access to nearly all scholarly literature.—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
An infrastructure of professionalism—conferences, along with scholarly journals and societies—had begun to emerge.—
Eric Bulson,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nerd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerd. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share